Finding and recruiting new members for your school’s chapter can be quite a challenge! An interest meeting is usually one of the first meetings of the year, and the goal is to attract new members to your chapter! These meetings are very informative and are not very similar to most meetings you’ll have throughout the year. With that said, here are some tips to having a successful TSA interest meeting.

1. Get the Word Out!One of the most important things you need to do is make sure your meeting is well advertised. If nobody knows that you’re having a meeting, it won’t be a very effective way to attract new members! Some examples of getting the word out are putting up posters, advertising your meeting over your school’s announcements, and talking to friends who don’t know much about what we do!2. Have a PlanOne of the worst things that you can do before an interest meeting is to not plan! In the days/weeks before your meeting, you should be making an extensive agenda detailing what you’re going to do in your meeting and how you’re going to do it.3. Keep People EntertainedIf all you’re doing in your meeting is talking, people are going to get bored and stop listening. A great way to keep people engaged is to plan small activities throughout your meeting. These can range from team building activities, to name games and introductory interactions! Although this seems very simple, it’s a wonderful way to grab the attention of the people you’re trying to convey your message to.4. Convince themThe most important thing that you need to do is get your message across. You need to tell them how to join, why they should join, and the benefits of joining TSA. If all you do is talk about the small details of TSA, they’re never going to get the big picture! GIve them the links to the state and national website so that they can go home and learn more on their own time; you should also give them contact information for the chapter officers or advisor(s) so that they can reach out with any questions that they may have.

This blog post was written by State Secretary, Jax Turner. You can contact him at secretary@tntsa.org